Tuesday, January 14, 2003
Blood-Sucking Guerrillas in the Mist
An addendum to the Malawi vampire situation: rather than appearing as traditional cape-wearing, fang-protruding creatures of the night, villagers are reporting paramilitary vampires. They wear black, use a form of gas to drug their victims, and draw blood from syringes. There are still elements of the supernatural in their descriptions, however, as the vampires have magical powers and disappear in graveyards.
Based on these accounts, I can see why the countryside has taken easily to the rumor. It plays on the fears of guerilla factions that have civil wars in this area ever since the fall of colonialism. Furthermore, it also plays into the AIDS epidemic that is gripping Africa right now as well. It's easier to blame the syringe-wielding stranger than personal actions in the spread of the disease. It also plays on an event in the '70s, in which Malawi officials apparently arrested a man with who was caught with syringes and bottles of blood in his refrigerator.
One might wonder, though, if there is validity to the stories. At least there is material for a good work of fiction. A clandestine organization studying the spread and effects of AIDS, possibly working on a cure, by collecting blood samples from the populations hardest hit by the disease. Or, if you prefer science fiction, time-travelers doing the same thing (could explain 'disappearing').
Meanwhile, government officials are working "to make it absolutely clear to local citizens, potential tourists and the world at large that Malawi does not have a vampire problem". Now that's an ad campaign I'd like to see.
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